SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. In its "Best Colleges 2015" edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Seattle University the 5th best Regional University in the West, a category for institutions that offer a full range of programs up to master's degree and some doctoral programs.[6] Seattle University School of Law has the #1 legal writing program in the nation, a rank held for six consecutive years.[7] In 2013, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked Seattle University #1 in the nation for macroeconomics.[8]

Among all colleges nationally, Seattle University graduates, with a degree in either the Liberal Arts or Sciences, are the 10th highest paid in the country.[9]

In 1891, Adrian Sweere, S.J., took over a small parish near downtown Seattle at Broadway and Madison. At first, the school was named after the surrounding Immaculate Conception parish and did not offer higher education. In 1898, the school was named Seattle College after both the city and Chief Seattle, and it granted its first bachelor's degrees 11 years later. Initially, the school served as both a high school and college. From 1919 to 1931, the college moved to Interlaken Blvd, but in 1931 it returned to First Hill permanently. In 1931, Seattle College created a "night school" for women, though admitting women was highly controversial at the time.[10][11]

In 2009, SU completed its largest capital campaign, raising almost $169 million.[12] This led to investment in the scholarship fund, academic programs and professorships, a fitness complex, an arts center, and the $56 million Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons, completed in fall 2010.[13]

Seattle University has a 50 acres (200,000 m2) camput in the Capitol Hill neighborhood[14] near downtown Seattle. The SU campus has been recognized by the city of Seattle and EPA for its commitment to sustainability through pesticide-free grounds, a food waste compost facility, recycling, and energy conservation program.[15]

The Chapel of St. Ignatius, on campus, designed by New York architect Steven Holl, won a national Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1998. At night the chapel sends beacons of multi-colored lights out onto the campus.[16]

Seattle University offers 61 bachelor's degree programs, 31 graduate degree programs, and 27 certificate programs, plus a law school and a doctoral program in education. The university consists of nine colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Albers School of Business and Economics, the College of Education, the School of Law, Matteo Ricci College, the College of Nursing, the College of Science and Engineering, the School of New and Continuing Studies, and the School of Theology and Ministry. A Seattle University education is estimated to cost $150,000, although much of this is covered by financial aid.[21]

Albers School of Business and Economics was ranked 46th in the U.S. and among the Top 25 private universities in the BusinessWeek 2010 rankings of undergraduate Business Schools. The school ranked seventh in the West and was the only private university in the Northwest appearing in the Top 50. The 2009 U.S. News & World Report ranking of undergraduate business programs puts Albers in the top 30% of AACSB accredited schools and one of the top 20 private business schools in the U.S. Albers's part-time MBA program has been recognized as one of the top 50 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009." The Executive Leadership Program was ranked by CRO Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine among the top 10 executive training programs in corporate responsibility. In addition, the Albers EDGE program (Education for Global Executives) was honored in 2008 as the only academic institution to receive the President's "E" Award, which recognizes persons, firms, or organizations that contribute significantly in the effort to increase United States exports. [22]

Seattle University's Albers School of Business and Economics, started in 1945, was named after the Albers family. George and Eva Albers were frequent donors including in 1971 Eva's bequest of $3 million to the school. Their daughter, alumna Genevieve Albers, has also made several bequests including a sponsored professorship. In 1967, the business school added an MBA program. BusinessWeek ranked Albers's Part-time MBA Program #25 in the nation and the undergraduate program in the top 50 in 2010. Both the Leadership Executive MBA Program and the part-time MBA Program are recognized among the Top 25 in their categories by "U.S. News & World Report's 2010 America's Best Graduate Schools." US News also ranks the Albers School among the top 10% of undergraduate business schools nationwide. The Albers School is accredited with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).[23]

The Seattle University College of Arts and Sciences inSeattle, Washington, is the oldest and the largest undergraduate and graduate college affiliated with Seattle University. The College offers 41 undergraduate majors, 36 undergraduate minors, six graduate degrees, and one post-graduate certificate. In the College of Arts and Sciences, Seattle University's graduate program in psychology is notable as one of the few schools in the country to focus on existential phenomenology as a therapeutic method.[24] Seattle University Communications Department offers Strategic Communications, Journalism, and Communication Studies majors, as well as internship opportunities.[25]

The Matteo Ricci College was founded in 1973 and named after Italian Jesuit missionary, Matteo Ricci. The program allows high school students from the affiliated Seattle Preparatory School and other area high schools to graduate with a bachelor's degree in humanities or teaching after as little as three years in high school and three years in college. It also provides students the opportunity to obtain a second bachelor's degree in any other discipline with one additional year of study.[26]

The Seattle University School of Law is the largest and most diverse in the Pacific Northwest.[27] The School of Law was founded in 1972 as part of the University of Puget Sound (UPS) in Tacoma, Wash. In 1993, the University of Puget Sound and Seattle University agreed on a transfer of the law school to Seattle University; in August 1994 the transfer was completed, and the school physically moved to the Seattle University campus in 1999. The 2012 U.S. News & World Report Law School rankings lists the school at number 82 in the nation overall, adding that the school has the number one legal writing program in the nation, as well as top-20 rankings for its part-time program and its clinical programs.[28]

Seattle University's College of Nursing celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010. It is housed in the renovated Garrand building, the site of the original Seattle College and the oldest building on campus. The 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m2) "state of the art" Clinical Performance Lab is located in the James Tower of Swedish on Cherry Hill, a few blocks away from the main campus. Undergraduate and Graduate students use this lab to practice skills necessary for clinical nursing. The BSN program accepts transfer students from community colleges and other universities. The MSN program welcomes registered nurses with bachelor's degrees. The Advanced Practice Nursing Immersion program (MSN) offers an accelerated program for those with a bachelor's degree in another field. Specialties available in the MSN program are Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Nurse-Midwifery and Advanced Community/Public Health Nursing.[29]

The College of Education was founded in 1935 and offers programs that include a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Masters in Adult Education and Training, Counseling, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration, Literacy for Special Needs, Master in Teaching, Master in Teaching with Special Education Endorsement, Special Education, Student Development Administration, and Teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL). Educational specialist degree programs include Educational Administration, and School Psychology, and special education and certificate programs offered include Superintendent, Principal, and Professional Development.

The College of Education is accredited by the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education and the National Association of School Psychologists and approved by the National Association of School Psychologists.[30]

The College of Science and Engineering focuses on basic sciences, mathematics, and their applications. Students can major in basic science disciplines, computer science, or one of the engineering departments – civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer and electrical engineering. Students may also obtain an interdisciplinary general science degree, or prepare for graduate work in the health professions.[31]

The College of Science and Engineering is ranked among the top 50 in the nation as one of U.S. News & World Report's Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (2008 edition). The college is ranked second in the nation in terms of the percentage of women faculty members, according to Prism, a publication of the American Society for Engineering Education.[32]

The School of Theology and Ministry is an ecumenical program with relationships with 10 Protestant denominations and the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. The school offers a number of master's degrees and certificates, including a Master of Divinity.[33]

Among Seattle University's many environmental undertakings, there are projects ranging from composting initiatives to water conservation. There are also solar panels on buildings, and a central recycling yard with an extensive recycling program.[37] The university has been composting since 1995, and in 2003 it built the first composting facility in the state on an urban campus.

SU received the Sustainability Innovator Award in 2007 from the Sustainable Endowments Institute for SU's pre-consumer food waste composting program and the Green Washington Award in 2008 from Washington CEO Magazine for SU's sustainable landscape practices and pre-consumer food waste composting program.[15] The Princeton Review's 2009 Green Rating gave the school a 97 out of a possible 99.[38]

SU's move to a pesticide-free campus began in the early 1980s when Ciscoe Morris, now a local gardening personage, was head of the SU Grounds Department in the 1980s. He put a halt to chemical spraying and in its place released more than 20,000 beneficial insects called lacewings to eat the aphids that had infested trees on campus. The success of this led to a other pesticide-free gardening practices.

Between 1950 and 1971, Seattle University competed as a Division I independent school. In the 1950s, the basketball team was a powerhouse with brothers Johnny and Eddie O'Brien, who led the team to a rare victory over the Harlem Globetrotters.[39] In 1958, future NBA Hall of FamerElgin Baylor paced a men's basketball team that advanced to the Final Four and defeated top-ranked Kansas State University before losing to the University of Kentucky. Seattle University was also a leader in the area of racial diversity, with an integrated squad known as "the United Nations team."

The success of men's basketball, in addition to men's golf and baseball, continued into to the 1960s with players Eddie Miles, Clint Richardson, and Tom Workman who went on to successful careers in the NBA. The 1966 basketball squad led Texas Western University to its only defeat in a championship season celebrated in the film Glory Road. In the course of the 1960s, Seattle University produced more NBA players than any other school.[40]

During that time women's tennis star Janet Hopps Adkisson was the first female to be the top-ranked player for both the men and women nationally. In women's golf, Pat Lesser was twice named to the Curtis Cup in the mid-1950s and was later inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.

Before 1980, more than 25 SU baseball players went on to play professionally in both the major and minor leagues. Men's golf and a Tom Gorman-led tennis team were also rated nationally. Gorman went on to lead the US Davis Cup team, where he captained a record 18 match wins and one Davis Cup title (1972) as a player and two more Davis Cup championships as a coach (1990 and 1992).

SU joined the West Coast Conference in 1971. In 1980, it left the West Coast Conference and Division I membership and entered the NAIA, where it remained for nearly 20 years.[41] In the late 1990s, President Fr. Sundborg started restoring the university's NCAA membership. The athletic program moved into Division II in the fall of 2002.

The school moved from Division II to Division I in 2009. Also in that year, the university hired men's basketball coach Cameron Dollar, former assistant at University of Washington, and women's coach Joan Bonvicini, former University of Arizona coach and one of the winningest women's college basketball coaches. In 2013, Coach Bonvicini led the Redhawks to the regular season Western Athletic Conference championship.[42]

In 1938, the mascot switched from the Maroons to the Chieftains.[43] The name was selected to honor the college's namesake, Chief Seattle. In 2000, the university changed its mascot to the Redhawks.[44]

Mohamed Alabbar, ’81, is the founder and chairman of Emaar Properties, one of the largest real estate development companies in the Middle East and known for developing the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Alabbar also serves as adviser for the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and constitutional monarch of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed

Elgin Baylor ’58, is a retired American basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 13 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in eight NBA Finals.

William D. Swenson,’01, is a Major in the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor on 15 October 2013. He was the first living United States Army officer to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, as well as the sixth living recipient in the War on Terror.

Founder and retired chair of Brinson Partners; GP Brinson Investments; The Brinson Foundation. The January 2003 issue of CFA Magazine named Brinson as one of seven living legends in the investment profession.